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Escape to America’s Dairyland with a visit to the National Historic Cheesemaking Center and Museum located in the heart of cheese country. Monroe, known as the “Gateway to Cheese Country” and the “Cheese Capital of the U.S.A.”, is a small historic community in south central Wisconsin rich in heritage, tradition, technology, and the hard work of dairying and cheesemaking. An area rich in “Cheese, Beer and Wine” conveniently located just 45 miles southwest of Madison, Wisconsin and 95 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois.

Envision the manual labor from its humble beginnings in a single farmstead factory in the mid 1850’s, to the first Wisconsin limburger cheese factory in 1868, and to a time in the 1900’s when more than 300 factories dotted the countryside. Discover the leadership and innovation that Monroe area cheesemakers have provided throughout the years, molding Wisconsin into the country’s premier quality cheese producer.

At the National Historic Cheesemaking Center and Museum, the past comes alive with tours led by knowledgeable veteran cheesemakers and docents. Then, enter ….”an era that was, that will never be again” as you step inside the Imobersteg Cheese Factory, restored and located on our campus, where each year on the second Saturday of June a 90 pound wheel of Swiss cheese is made right before your eyes, as it was done over 100 years ago.

Our docents provide area information for Monroe, New Glarus and the entire “Little Richland Valley”, for lodging, restaurants, cheese retail stores, attractions and all that Monroe and Green County has to offer.